Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Livin' in the Blurbs: MyMusicRX, Lentil Underground, Farmer and Rancher Day

Ever been down and music lifted you up? Ever been feeling queasy and picked up an instrument, then forgot all about your discomfort? That's what MyMusicRx does for kids facing cancer and other serious illnesses. And this Valentine's Day you can help the Children's Cancer Association rock those kids' lives by—get this—taking your loved one(s) out for a little love-fest of your own. Eight of Portland's quintessential food establishments are donating a portion of the day's sales to MyMusicRx, so you can show your love by sharing it with some incredibly courageous kids.

All five Stumptown locations are participating, donating 15% of Valentine’s Day sales

All three Pine State Biscuit locations are participating, donating 10% of Valentine’s Day sales

All three Salt & Straw locations are participating, donating 10% of Valentine’s Day sales

Three of Bunk Sandwiches’ sandwich shop locations are participating, donating 15% of Valentine’s Day sales

Both Albina Press locations are participating, donating 5% of Valentine’s Day sales

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Sometimes we Northwesterners think we've got a corner on cool when it comes to food. But forty years ago, corporate agribusiness launched a campaign to push small grain farmers to modernize or perish, or as Nixon Administration Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz put it, to "get big or get out." But twenty-seven-year-old David Oien decided to take a stand. When he dropped out of grad school to return to his family’s 280 acre farm, Oien became the first in his conservative Montana county to seed his fields with a radically different crop: organic lentils. Hear his story, and those of the farmers who joined him, as told by author Liz Carlisle in her new book, Lentil Underground, at a reading and booksigning at Powell's on March 9th.

Love shopping at one of the nearly 100 farmers' markets in Oregon? Want to help support the small family farms that are making our state one of the only places in the nation where land under cultivation is growing rather than shrinking, and the average age of farmers is going down rather than up? You've got a chance to show your support and impress legislators when Friends of Family Farmers hosts Farmer and Rancher Day at the State Capitol on March 30th. Featuring a pop-up farmers market inside the Capitol and educational workshops on the latest food and farming bills, you'll also get a chance to meet with legislators and attend a lunch-time rally on the Capitol steps. The event is free and transportation, as well as lunch and refreshments, will be provided if you RSVP online. Show your thanks to these folks who work so hard to grow the food you put on your table by attending this important rally.

Details: Farmer and Rancher Day at the State Capitol organized by Friends of Family Farmers. Mon., Mar. 30. Event location at the State Capitol Bldg., 900 Court St. NE, Salem. 503-581-7124.